Review: Barbour Publishing

I'm constantly looking for books for my children to read, especially my third grade boys. They love to read, but they are at a point that they complain if the book isn't something that meets their expectations. I want to find books that will allow them to enjoy reading while learning and getting some adventure at the same time. That's why I was especially excited to have the opportunity for them to read: Imagine . . . .The Great Flood by Matt Koceich from Barbour Publishing. What was even better is that this was a Bible Adventure!

This 112-page paperback Christian kids book is geared toward older elementary or middle school children. It feels so nice to open up a book and hand it to your children knowing there won't be anything that you don't approve of in the pages.

I would personally give this book the age range of 7-13. (The age listed on the back of the book is 8-12.) My boys are 8 and 9, and they were able to read it in just two days (approximately 30-60 minutes in 2-3 sittings) with no difficulty. They didn't need any guidance from me whatsoever while reading.

In addition, the even GREATER bit of information was that neither boy complained about reading this book. They actually said they liked it and that they would give it at least 4 out of 5 stars.

I am working with Isaac and Sidge on comprehension and being able to remember and discuss what they read. We are just starting book reports. I asked them to provide me with just a sentence or two after they read summarizing the book. Here is what they came up with:

Isaac (9): "This book is about Corey who goes back in time. He sees Noah and the ark and the flood before he gets to go back home."

Sidge (8): "The Great Flood was about a kid named Corey who goes back in time and goes to the time of Noah and the Ark. He almost dies a couple of times!"

They both summarized this pretty accurately. A modern day boy is sucked back in time and gets to experience the flood! How cool is that?! When the book opens, Corey is having a discussion with his mother about their upcoming move to Florida. He is incredibly upset about having to make this move. He hits his head and is then transported back in time.

Corey meets Shem and eventually the rest of Noah's family, but one of the most interesting aspects to me was meeting the Nephilim. The Bible talks about giants, however, my kids had never heard of this. It is something that is usually very overlooked when retelling the story of Noah. Corey helps Shem load the animals back into the ark, and on the way he begins to understand trusting God and trusting God specifically in his life when it came to his family's move.

This was probably the thing I liked most: the intertwining of God into things we do and to look to him for encouragement. This message was loud and clear throughout the pages of the book.

This book met my expectations precisely. It was exactly what you would expect it to be: a Christian book that was clean and presented Biblical history for my newly reading children.

One of the things that we spent a lot of time discussing after my boys finished reading was the idea of historical fiction. Some of it is not true. There are liberties taken to bring the story to life. How does that work? What is okay to include? What is not okay to include? How do we know what is historically accurate and what is made up for the sake of the story?

Priced at under $5.00, this book is incredibly affordable and a wonderful inclusion to your library -- whether you be a homeschool parent or not. As always, please don't hesitate to contact me at wkitsteiner@gmail.com for more information on this book.

You can find out more information about Imagine . . . .The Great Flood by Matt Koceich from Barbour Publishing by visiting Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.